Laura Bechtolsheimer
Dressage
Individual Competition, Individual Grand Prix, Team Competition
 |
Date of Birth: |
31/01/1985 |
| Lives: |
Ampney St Peter |
| Born: |
Mainz |
| Country of Birth: |
Germany |
| Height: |
169 |
| Weight: |
56 |
| Club: |
|
| Coach: |
Father, Dr Wilfred Bechtolsheimer |
| Occupation: |
Student |
Click here to view my Beijing Schedule
Click here to view my Beijing Results
Laura started riding when she was given her first pony on her third birthday. She went on to compete in Pony Club eventing and won the National Championships of Independent Schools at Stonar School aged 12. Laura started to concentrate on dressage aged 13 and was selected to ride at the Pony European Championship the following season and won a team silver medal at her first major competition.
“The eventing fizzled out. I find dressage really challenging.
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Major achievements: Team silver medals at the Pony European Championships with Foresters Gold in 1999 and Golden Dancer in 2000 and Laura took home team bronze from the Young Rider European Championships riding Douglas Dorsey in 2004 and Mistral Hojris in 2005. Also in 2005, Laura became the youngest British Dressage National Champion at the age of 20 riding Douglas Dorsey.
Laura has also enjoyed success at senior international level and won the B final in the 2006 World Cup Final. She represented Britain at the 2006 World Equestrian Games and was offered a wild card for the 2007 World Cup Final, which she turned down due to university commitments. She was again on the British team at the 2007 European Championships and achieved the highest placing in the team test riding Mistral Hojris. Also in 2007, she achieved a record score for a British rider in an international grand prix with 75.33% at Olympia.
Laura is the British Dressage Dressage Rider of the Year 2008.